Outlander 1X9: The Reckoning
Added 2024-04-12 20:00:04 +0000 UTCThis was a hell of an episode for poor Claire and Jamie. It felt like everything that could have gone wrong did. And it hurt to have to watch both of them endure.
But, by the end of it, they seemed to have a net positive. It's always better when they are on the same side.
Look at Jamie, keeping the peace. I'm proud of him!
Also, not cool, Laoghaire. You know Jamie is married. And, like, just married! Keep your damn hands off. And your cursed objects out of their bedroom!
Comments
Jamie and Claire loving each other as equals is the crux of this story. We start to see this come into play in this episode. Jamie’s an interesting character in that he’s as much of an outlander as Claire is but for different reasons. He is bound by tradition, but has a more progressive outlook than the men of this time, which we have seen in previous episodes. It’s his progressive nature that allows the dynamic of his marriage to Claire to shift in interesting ways. Right away we see Jamie is different. We know the type of man he is. He would never hurt Claire. But he does. It is disappointing to see Jamie beat his wife to punish her for running away, as if she was a child and not a grown woman of her own agency. She is rescued from humiliation and rape, only to find that the one person she thought she could trust, she can't. Jamie is her only reliable ally, and now, just as she thinks she's safe, he hits her. Claire has now been on the receiving end of violence from men, three times over, in a short period of time. Very traumatic. I admire Jamie for understanding that his relationship with his wife is going to be very different from any other he has witnessed. Determined to mend fences with Claire, he draws his blade giving Claire the pledge he refused to give Colum. He is the man we knew him to be. I admire Claire for admitting that, although she should walk away she doesn't want to. She cares about Jamie. A lot. I appreciate that to reclaim her agency she had to draw his blade on him and make her own pledge. Even though Claire is far from being ready to say it explicitly, it’s plain to see that her feelings for Jamie are much stronger than she’d thought, and that this is quickly becoming a marriage of mutual love. Willie is essentially a mole. He was appointed by Colum to be his eyes and ears during the rent collections. He reported back to him when they returned. He's the reason Colum knows of all the things that happened while they were away. He doesn't trust Dougal. In the initial interaction between Jamie and Column, we learn of Dougal's true motivations. Colum is mad Jamie married a Sassenach because it ruins his plans for Jamie. Colum wants Jamie to become his successor, not Dougal. Dougal may have presented Jamie and Claire's arranged marriage as though he'd become fond of Claire and wanted her to be safe, but in reality, he specifically proposed that she marry Jamie because marrying an English woman would remove Jamie from contention for Laird of Clan MacKenzie, the opposite of Colum's wishes.
Heather
2024-04-13 22:58:11 +0000 UTCJust to clarify, Claire wasn't raped by the redcoat deserter. Almost, but she killed him first. It isn't necessarily relevant for trauma and horrific nature of the incident, but just so you know
sandrinegeller
2024-04-13 05:12:30 +0000 UTCI love Jamie, but I'm team Claire here all the way! Just because getting beaten by not obeying your husband is how things are done in 1743, doesn't mean she has to shut up and accept it. If that's the case she might as well go back through the stones and to Frank, who let's her be who she is. (Where it's less violent and she's not getting raped!) Claire is smart. She is well aware what her actions caused. She doesn't need a beating to drive home the point. The onus was all on Jamie to make this right. I honestly felt no sympathy for him. He deserved how Claire was treating him. I'm glad she made him see the error of his ways and that he chose their marriage over appearing "weak" with his men. Jamie is not a wife beater and he does value Claire's opinion. I love Jamie's oath to Claire and I love that she solidified it in her own way by threatening him with a knife to his throat. What I love about Claire is pretty much what I love about Jamie. They share very similar characteristics. They are strong, brave, opinionated, loyal and fight for what they believe. (Just to name a few) I'm happy Jamie came to his senses and they're back on the same page. Jamie and Claire together being the people they are meant to be are unstoppable.
Sabrina
2024-04-12 22:15:06 +0000 UTC
